Garden Weddings: A Destination Wedding in Your Own Backyard

By: Michael Armstrong

Today we’re taking a look at Garden Weddings; one of the most versatile and popular wedding venues from Spring through Fall. But to really emphasize how versatile they are, we’re going to start by taking a closer look at Destination Weddings.

What Makes a Destination?

Photo: Shachmut Photography

The question seems simple enough. A destination wedding is a wedding at a destination, meaning a wedding you had to travel to get to. That definition is fairly inclusive and could refer to a wedding on the beach in the Bahamas, by a mountaintop lodge in the Rocky Mountains, on the grounds of a French chateau, or any other distant, scenic, outdoors setting.

But things change. Nowadays, you can ask almost anyone what a destination wedding is and they’ll give you a much more specific answer. As language constantly evolves, destination weddings have become synonymous with beach weddings, even if that beach is close to home. I say if coastal couples can have a destination wedding in their own backyard, landlocked lovebirds should too. If the qualifier for a “destination” isn’t distance, but scenic quality, I say garden weddings easily make the cut.

Garden Weddings and Why They’re Great:

Steel Grey Allure Men Tuxedo

Garden weddings have a lot in common with beach weddings. They both emphasize a beautiful outdoors setting. They are both versatile enough to be opulent or thrifty. They both take advantage of good weather, sun, and a particular playfulness. But what garden weddings have that beach weddings don’t is that they can be anywhere!

Some cities and towns have parks and gardens that have been maintained specifically for weddings. Some places have grounds maintained as part of a large private estate or something equally impressive. But a garden wedding could also literally be in your own nicely groomed backyard. A garden wedding can be anywhere a beautiful gathering can be.

In comparison, beach weddings tend to be relegated exclusively to places near a large body of water. The difference means that garden weddings can be for everyone, anywhere, with any budget. That’s pretty great.

What to Wear in the Garden:

Now that you’ve got the place, and hopefully a fiance, it’s time to think about what you want to wear. Just like garden weddings are easy get to, they’re also easy to dress for. Your options are wide open because you get to set the pace! But for some people lots of choices means lots of decisions, and that can be bad. So to help out we’ve listed several of the most popular styles commonly worn at garden weddings. Not surprisingly, some of the most popular garden wedding styles are also the most popular for beach weddings. Click on the images to see more details.

Black ‘Allure Men’ Tuxedo

Steel Grey ‘Allure Men’ Tuxedo

Tan ‘Allure Men’ Tuxedo

Heather Grey ‘Twilight’ Tuxedo

Heather Grey ‘Twilight’ Suit

Steel Grey ‘Twilight’ Tuxedo

Steel Grey ‘Twilight’ Suit

Tan ‘Rapture’ Suit

Chocolate ‘Premier’ Tuxedo

Black ‘Dream’ Tuxedo

Grey Stripe ‘Madison I’ Tuxedo

Black ‘Icon’ Tuxedo

That Magic Garden Touch:

Among the many fine qualities that garden weddings possess, one of the greatest is the ability to personalize them. The potential for creative decoration is only as limited as your imagination (or access to Pinterest.) While all weddings allow for some personalization, the outdoor setting of a garden wedding allows for a lot of flexibility that other venues might not have.

For instance, a fun loving couple might have an area set up for yard games. Animal lovers might have an usher dog. Maybe she’s an English Lit major that would like the kids table set up like the Mad Hatter’s tea party. It’s all fair game. The culmination of a beautiful outdoors setting that’s perfectly customized to your tastes, personalized to you and your soon-to-be spouse, surrounded by your friends and family… and possibly your usher dog, and all in a place that’s easy for everyone to get to is a great recipe for the happiest day of your life. Less Stress = More Fun = Happy. Pretty simple, really.

Below we’ve listed a few pictures, courtesy of Shachmut Photography, that illustrate just how fun garden weddings can be. Click on the thumbnails to view larger.

Photo: Shachmut Photography

Photo: Shachmut Photography

Photo: Shachmut Photography

Photo: Shachmut Photography

Photo: Shachmut Photography

Photo: Shachmut Photography

When it comes to garden weddings, there’s some to know and a whole lot to see. This article is just the tip of the iceberg. There are decorations, themes, lighting, activities, and everything else from swan boats to bow ties for dogs. But the most important thing to know is that this day belongs to you and your betrothed, and you have every right to be as happy as you possibly can be.

Michael Armstrong is the resident staff writer for MyTuxedoCatalog.com, the web’s premiere resource for mens rental formal wear styles, news & information, and local listings. He aims to provide the most up to date industry and style information available, while sharing the many venues and ways that mens formal wear presents itself every day. Michael would like to take this opportunity to wish joy to the world, to all the boys and girls now. He’d also like to extend joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, but especially, joy to you and me.